Run Away Heart
by EverythingAtOnce
Summary: "That was his only chance—his last chance. He dropped his gaze down at his empty hands. If he didn't speak up…what would he hold? He'd have nothing to hold onto. He'd be empty. He'd have nothing."


**This story I started a few months back, and, after I exited the Word document, I never really got back to this story until like last Thursday... ;D So I hope you enjoy this!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Alvin and the Chipmunks.**

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Biting his bottom lip, he gulped down all that he had in his mouth and rubbed his hands together nervously. This was, by far, the most frightful day of his life. He glanced anxiously around at the people chatting quietly amongst each other. Up in the front row seats was Dave, who was smiling happily while having a conversation with Ms. Miller, who had a handkerchief in her hand that was constantly coming up to her face—whether it was to blow her nose or wipe away her tears—her handkerchief never got more than an inch or two away from her face.

But who could blame her? For today was her youngest daughter's big day.

What was so significant about this situation was: this was the day that everyone's been jumping off a cliff just to make things perfect for—everyone _was _going all out just to make this day special. Well, everyone—meaning—Brittany, was having a heart attack just to make things perfect, but other people were contributing to this special day as well—just not as much as Brittany was, of course. This day was supposed to be a happy day full of sunshine…but, the twisted thing was, is that it wasn't. At least not for him. For him, it was the exact _opposite_.

This was exactly what he'd been dreading since he found out about it—this day was the cause to all of his problems. He'd been stressing out more than he should've been, and this so called "special" day was corrupting his usual, uplifting, cheery, personality. He wanted to be happy for her—for Eleanor—but it was really hard to be optimistic about _her _big day. It was _hers_…but it should've been _theirs_...at least that's how he always imagined it to be.

In all truth, he was happy for her. If she was happy, he was happy. And that was a fact. But this happiness he had wasn't the kind of happiness he wanted to have. It was a dreary, mixed-up kind of happiness that he had—and he didn't want that. If there was any kind of happiness he wanted, it would be to have the kind that she had—but he didn't want it all for himself, he wanted to share it with someone—someone that meant more than the world to him. He wanted to share it with her.

And he would love to share it with her, but he couldn't was the problem. She already had someone to share all happiness of eternity with…and it wasn't him. It could never be him. He'd already long gone lost his chance. His time was up. By the time of dusk, she would belong to someone else.

There was nothing he could possibly do to save his wasted time. The past is the past…and that's all he knew. For the future? He had no clue…

If only he could change time. All he needed was _time_. The sand in the hourglass was already down to the bottom, and the hands on the clock could no longer hold onto his time. He was at a lost cause, for, if there's no time, what more can he do? The one thing he needed was all gone.

How could he ever let all of this time fly by? It was almost as if a thief had robbed him in the night…but that was nonsense talk. Who would want to steal time?

He would.

If he could, he'd steal all the time in the world if he could just change things…if he could just _change _the future. He'd fly from California all the way to New York, and from New York, all the way across the world if he could just get him some _time._

With time, he could change the future.

Stealing wasn't something he ever was fond of. Lying wasn't either. These things never would become a part of him because he would never let them in. But if these things could get him some time, then he would let them in. He'd treat them like some royal guest if he could just get some _time_.

Theodore blinked at this thought.

This wasn't right. Those things he was thinking about weren't right. They weren't good for him. Because if he kept thinking about them like this, he may _actually _consider doing them. Sure, eating something like a whole entire triple layered, chocolate glazed, turtle nut cake wasn't good for him, but things like stealing and lying were worse.

Although out of all the questions that caked his mind, stuffed full, was: how did things ever turn out to be this way?

He always showed her his affections by baking her sweet treats and sharing with her his food… Maybe that wasn't enough? Food and cooking were his specialties. It was also Eleanor's, too. He figured that since they pretty much both love the same things and had the same taste, he'd show all of his love to her by the thing he did best. And he did. But maybe one of his cookie recipes went wrong on her taste? Or maybe he didn't bake her enough of his special dessert recipes?

He remembered the conversation he spoke with her a couple months earlier perfectly. It was a topic they always talked about while growing up.

"_So, what would you name your restaurant?"_

"_You mean, _our _restaurant—this is something I would never dream of doing without you by my side," Eleanor giggled cheerfully._

_He couldn't help but grin widely, and asked, "So, what type of people do you—" he cleared his throat, "—I mean, do we hope to attract?"_

_After some time, her answer finally came, "Everyone—people from all over the world!"_

_If possible, his smile broke the record for whoever could smile the biggest._

_She grabbed his hand, "But for this to happen, you have to promise me that you'll put effort into this. We need to work together—become one."_

"_I promise, Eleanor."_

_She crossed her arms, cocking her head sternly. "Pinky promise…?"_

"_Cross my heart and hope to die—I pinky promise."_

_A smile grew across her face and she jumped into a big hug with him._

He shook his head, caught in a daze. So…how exactly _were_ they now supposed to complete their dreams? This wasn't only his…it was hers too. And he promised to do it with her. He sealed the deal with the trust in her heart. But, this wasn't exactly going to work anymore… She was getting married…starting a new life—with someone else…

She was going to get new dreams.

Dreams that didn't include him in the picture.

In a heartbeat she'd throw away their dreams and probably say something around the lines of "I'm sorry, but things have changed—we were kids then…" He shook his head abruptly. _No…_she would never. She wasn't that kind of girl. She wasn't like others. But then again, maybe he should stop thinking about himself and thinking about what's best for her…

Biting his bottom lip, he glanced back at the closed doors she would soon be coming out of. He let out a sigh, his heart aching. He knew she'd be absolutely beautiful. In fact: she'd be the prettiest in the room! But either way, he couldn't let himself forget. _She'd never be his. _And he was going to have to live with it.

But how?

How could he possibly do that? She was his peanut to his butter! His core to his apple! His sweet to his sour! She was his everything! She practically completed him.

What did he ever do to let this all _go? _Where did he go wrong?

He let out an everlasting sigh, letting his body crumble and go loose. Looking down at his bare cold hands, his lips pursed into a thin line…a line that when turned, would look like a lowercase "L" standing for: looser. This was by far his biggest failure. He was so down…and he's never really _sad… _He's never exactly been miserable before. Sure, he has had hard times—but they weren't terrible! They were survivable. He could overcome these things. But _this? _This was just—it was just—it felt like his heart was slowly getting compressed, slowly getting _crushed_. His heart was slowly dying…

After some time, he closed his eyes, blocking out the small talk echoing from wall to wall, whispering unwanted sayings in his ears. Taking in a deep breath of the sweet, clear, fresh air, he flashed his eyes wide open. The outside noise was suddenly silent, soft music gently beginning to play in the background.

It was already time.

If only for a moment he could just go back in time…change history…change the past.

He needed _time! _Just a little more time…

That was ALL he desperately needed. _Time. _If he knew he needed all of this time, he would've asked this for his birthday!—or, he would've traded all of his Halloween candy just for this!—and he would've even given up all of his Christmas presents just for some little bit of _time…_

Time.

TIME was ALL he NEEDED.

His fists began to shake, and his palms began to scream out in pain. His gaze dropped down to his balled up fists. As he took in a deep breath, he exhaled out, releasing his energy that consumed his hands as red spilled throughout his hand like a glass of water dyed crimson spilled on a sheet of paper.

Slowly, he mustered up all of his courage just to turn his body and his head, to follow the crowds' gaze to the back of the room. His heart nearly jumped right out of his chest, and his legs just about jumped him up and out of his seat so he could go greet her…but nothing of the such happened. He stayed put…and stared, his mouth gaping, just like everybody else's face in the room. A smile he certainly wasn't in the mood for placing on his face curved his lips naturally. He couldn't help it. He was looking at her…and she was glowing. She looked so…happy…

His gaze drooped, and he managed to look to the front of the room, where the groom stood. The groom was standing where he was supposed to stand. He felt like crying; his heart already was…so why couldn't he?

He shook his head. No. If he ever were to cry, it wouldn't be of sadness—but happiness. But no pleasure existed in him. It was practically dead. He no longer carried joy or happiness with him. She took it all with her. Every bit of happiness she felt was his pain because he knew her happiness wasn't because of him, and that now, it could never be him. He didn't even know what he was to her anymore. She was his best friend…and best lover. She was the one for him. And now, he was just letting her go.

By the time he saw her pass him down the aisle, glowing bright like the sun, he couldn't handle it anymore. He couldn't bear to sit where he sat all alone. He needed to leave.

As he turned to look at his escape, he felt so far away.

No. He couldn't just _leave…! _What was he thinking?

A breath of air breezed out his parted lips. As he blinked his evergreen eyes, a thought came to his mind. A conversation he'd remember having with his brothers…it felt like it was ages ago…

"_Have any of you boys seen my lipstick?!" Brittany shrieked, bursting through the Seville's front door in an urgent manner. "It's a light, rosy pink that is my absolute favorite and I can't seem to find it ANYWHERE!" her arms flailed up to the sky. "And this was the last place I remember it actually being with me."_

"_What—why?" Alvin stood, casually strolling with his hands in his pockets, a smug grin plastered on his face. "Did you want to have a make-out session with me right _now?_ 'Cause you know I've got a list of a thousand girls waiting. I can't just bump them all down for you and place you at the top."_

_Brittany gave a look of disgust. "I think I just threw up in my mouth…" She muttered. She huffed out a sigh, and rolled her ice cold eyes. "I know, I know—I know how much you just _want_ and _wish_ you could kiss this hot stuff," she pointed to herself, "but, I'm sorry Honey, but I am just out of your league." She flashed a dazzling smile before her switch flipped. "Now I don't have time to play with you Seville!" she spat, pushing past him. "I NEED to find my lipstick! Have any of you boys seen it?!" she came marching into the living room where Simon and Theodore sat._

_The two youngest Sevilles looked up with alarmed looks._

_Simon readjusted his glasses and questioned, "I-I'm sorry, Brittany—I'm afraid I've never seen it before…" He paused and exchanged glances with Alvin who now was leaning against the wall, annoyed. "Actually—I take that back—I believe, if I can recall correctly, Alvin took it. I think he was planning on sneaking into your bathroom and wasting your cosmetic on your mirror—he was going to write some creepy message or something…"_

"_Aw, gee, thanks, Si!" Alvin whined. "You totally gave the surprise away!"_

"_You are very welcome, Alvin." Simon smiled politely. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I would like to go back to this crossword puzzle."_

_With that said, Brittany slowly turned towards Alvin. "You were going to—UGH! Just give me the darn lipstick!" she screeched, her hand flying out expectantly._

_Sighing dramatically, after grumbling for a few seconds, the oldest of the Seville brothers managed to slip his right hand out of his jean pocket and with much resistance and struggle, he finally handed the slick, metallic black tube over._

_Brittany quickly snatched the lipstick, opened the lid, and grinned a sick sweet smile. "Thank you!" she gushed, fanning herself. "You saved me!" Her face turned dark. "Now all you have to do is save yourself—but, due to the fact that I'm in a rush, I'm afraid we'll have to do a rain check." And with that stated, she marched straight to the door._

_But before she left, Alvin hollered, "Why are you in such a big rush?! What's the big deal?!"_

_Pausing, Brittany shouted before closing the door, "It's for Eleanor's wedding! Haven't you boys heard? She got proposed to last night!"_

_As those words echoed throughout the Seville's household, Theodore's heart stopped._

"_Wh-wh-what did sh-she say?" he blinked, forgetting how to breath. He felt like the air got knocked right out of him. Normally he ignored Alvin and Brittany's little "fights" but for some odd reason, he didn't this time. And now, he was beginning to regret it. He should've just gone back to daydreaming on the couch like he originally was doing before she came over!_

"_So, Eleanor's getting married, huh? I'm happy for her," Simon sighed, tossing the crossword puzzle he was working on to the floor. "It's about time something probable actually happened," he stole a quick glance at Alvin before looking out the large window behind him._

"_She…she's getting married…?" Theodore squeaked out, blinking his eyes._

_Soon Alvin came strutting in to join his brothers and gave Simon a light punch in the arm. "Yup, and you're next!" he grinned, clicking his tongue. "Because we all know how only _Simon _will do realistic things that end with unicorns and daisies popping out of the ground!"_

_Simon could only give his oldest brother a look while he shook his head with a scoff. "Right…"_

"_She's…getting…married…" Theodore slowly stated, as the words finally began to seep deeply into his skin. His gaze stayed frozen. He didn't know how to react. He wasn't sure whether he should be running up to his room to cry his heart out, or be jumping out of his seat and running off to congratulate the soon "bride" to be_

_He felt as if his world was crashing down on him._

_The pulse in his heart slowed to a steady rhythm, pounding like a beating drum in his ears._

"_Married…" His voice managed to force out._

_Suddenly he found himself staring at a waving hand swaying in front of his eyes. He blinked, and stared up at his two brothers who now stood at each of his sides, giving him funny looks._

"_Do you think he's in shock or something?" Alvin's voice echoed._

_Theodore managed to shake his head and get his head into focus. "What do you mean…'sh-shock'?"_

"_Theodore, are you alright?" Simon questioned, folding his arms as his head slightly cocked._

_He merely blinked, trying to process the words in his mind._

_Suddenly Alvin snapped his fingers and with an extraordinary look on his face, he smiled deviously, "This is about Eleanor…isn't it…? You don't want her to get married because you want her all to yourself…don't you?"_

"_Wh-wh-what?" the dazed Chipmunk managed to speak out._

_Cackling, Alvin shook his head, "That's what this is all about! You have girl problems!"_

"_Now, Alvin," Simon began, but he never finished._

"_I'm sorry Si, this is a conversation that only I will be able to understand—Theodore and I will have a man-to-man talk. You know, a one-on-one kind of talk…"_

"_Alv—" Simon groaned loudly and slumped down back to his spot on the couch next to his sibling. "Whatever—but I'm not leaving," he informed, crossing his arms._

"_Fine by me," Alvin coolly grinned. "You'll be able to learn from me, too!" Simon simply rolled his eyes, his eyebrow twitching. "Anyway, so!" the oldest clasped his hands together. "What do we have?" he flashed a smile to his youngest brother._

_Theodore, suddenly feeling self-conscious about himself, dropped his gaze and began, "W-well…" He sighed. Was it really that obvious? His brothers already figured it out? His shoulders slouched in defeat. Well, he might as well tell his brothers his problems… After all, they might be able to help him out. And then again, they might not… He lightly shook his head. What was the big deal anyway? He was already too late…_

"_Well," he gulped, "I…I guess this is about…you know, Eleanor…" He lifted his gaze and flashed glances between his brothers. "I really, you know, like her—but now—but now she's…she's getting…" He cleared his throat, feeling it close in on him. "Married," he choked out. Oh now…he could feel the tears coming on now… He couldn't cry in front of his brothers! His hands clenched tightly into fists, and his legs readied him to break for it. But before he could manage this stunt, Simon put a hand on his shoulder securely._

_He peered to his bespectacled brother, a pulse of comfort suddenly spreading throughout his body like a virus. He felt his hands loosen and his gaze slowly viewed back up to his eldest brother._

"_Mhmm," Alvin nodded thoughtfully. "And you think this it?—that it's the end?"_

_Theodore shrugged and nodded his head reluctantly, "Yeah…"_

"_So you plan on doing nothing, and sitting back and watching as your one and only true love gets taken away from you by some other guy?"_

_He swayed his head and shrugged, "Y-yeah…I mean, what else is there that I can do?"_

_Alvin's hands flailed up. "Wow! Seriously?! You're just like Simon! I mean c'mon! You're joking! Tell me you're joking, Theodore…!"_

_Theodore could only shrug his shoulders while a shadow of disappointment engulfed him from his oldest brother. "I-I'm sorry…but what more do you expect, Alvin?"_

"'_Expect'?" Alvin echoed, shaking his head. "I expect you to have courage! To believe!" he scoffed. "To believe that there's still a chance! Sheesh! There's no way you'll be able to hit homerun with a girl if you don't even _try!"

"_Well, technically there might not even be a possibility left, Alvin," Simon chimed in, readjusting his black framed glasses._

"_And that's where you are WRONG! Simon, with that attitude—no wonder you can bare even get yourself a girl!—this is why I'm the expert in love and you're the expert in science! You're too technical and everything has to have a solution you can see the ending to. Well, flash news! This is _life! _You can't see the future! There's no probable solution as to why something happens!—it just does!" Alvin proclaimed with much dignity._

"_Well, then, what do you suggest?" Theodore spoke out, feeling lost._

"_What do I suggest? I suggest you fight! Theo, love is something you are going to only get one chance to face. And if you're lucky, and fate is on your side, you'll be able to face love again. But you've got to understand: Love doesn't just 'happen'—you need to work for it! And it is a pain in the butt! (And I'm not even sure it's worth it!) But if there's one thing that I know, love is worth it. Love is worth fighting for…"_

_After Alvin spoke with much confidence that for once scaled higher than his ego, silence filled the room. It almost was as if he was some preacher!—but he was no preacher. Theodore felt shaken up by his words though. And if there was one thing he got out of it, it was that he shouldn't give up quite yet. There still was time._

Time. Theodore shook his head. Why was he so…so _stupid _then? Why was he so clueless? He had so much more time then, than he had now! What had he been doing this whole time from then, up until now?

"_So, what can I do?" his voice echoed throughout the room._

_A huge smile spread across Alvin's face. "Now that's my baby brother! That's more like it!" he proudly gave Theodore a light slap on the back._

"_Oh, brother…" Simon grumbled under his breath. He could only shake his head._

_Alvin began to walk back and forth as his knowledge began to spill out his lips like water in a pitcher. "Well, it's really simple: you have to win her heart."_

_Theodore basked himself in the spoken words. After some time had passed, he finally questioned: "How?"_

"_Well, it's simple, really. All you have to do is get close to her, and she'll change her mind because she'll realize how wrong her engagement is now, and she'll dump the guy like a bag of rotten cookies infested with meal worms and come running to you because you are that much better!" he flashed a smile._

"_Oh…that is simple!" he chirped happily, brightening up._

"_But just because it's simple, doesn't always mean it's easy, Theodore." Simon stated matter-of-factly._

_Sighing, Alvin eased out, "He…might actually be right… Like I said before, you're going to have to fight for this. And if you really want it that badly—then yes, I'd think you would actually fight for it, Theo."_

_Nodding his head firmly, Theodore finally blurted out after some thought, "But, what do I do when it's already her wedding day? It'd be too late—wouldn't it…?"_

_Much to his surprise, Alvin shook his head in disagreement._

"_Wh-what?" he stuttered out, not sure of what other possibilities there would even be._

_Alvin sighed, "Oh, Theodore—there's so much you still have to learn! Is it not that obvious? You stop the wedding!"_

_He could only blink, shocked. Stop the wedding? But wouldn't that ruin her special day? "Wh-what do you m-mean, Alvin?"_

_Again, Alvin sighed but this time more dramatically. "Theo, I mean: you speak up!"_

"_Alvin—don't be ridiculous!—this is, this is—this is ludicrous! You can't be serious—" Simon jumped out of his seat and began to plead. "Don't give him any ideas…" He gritted through clenched teeth._

"_Si, if this is really necessary and he knows for sure that he absolutely _cannot_ live without Eleanor Miller—then I do highly encourage it!" Alvin flared, stomping his foot. "Wouldn't you speak up if it was YOUR last chance?!"_

"_Well, would you?" Simon countered._

"_I would!" Alvin fired. Silence filled the room. "I would…wouldn't you…?"_

"_I—" Simon held his tongue before trying once more, "I…" He sighed. "I…don't know…"_

_A small smile began to curl Alvin's lips. "Exactly my point!" he exclaimed triumphantly turning towards Theodore who barely was understanding what they were even talking about. "So, Theodore!—when all else fails, and your sand in the hourglass is down to the last grain, take a stand during the wedding when it's right, and speak up!"_

_The youngest Seville merely blinked. "What?" Speak up? For what? He was so confused!_

_Simon sighed before reluctantly saying, "Theodore, in Eleanor's wedding, there will be a time during her wedding while she's getting sealed where the sealer will eventually say something around the lines of: 'if there are any that oppose, speak now' or something like that… And then he'll wait and if there is someone that opposes, well, I'm sure you can figure the rest out yourself…." He scratched the back of his neck, shrugging his shoulders._

"_Oh…" Theodore sucked in a deep breath. "That's what you meant…" He held his breath. No. He could never do this to Eleanor on her special day! He didn't want to be the one that ruined everything for her… He cared too much about her, than for his own needs. No. He couldn't…it was wrong…_

_ "So," he began, refusing to speak his thoughts. "When all else fails, I speak up." He glanced up at his brothers—Alvin nodding his head, Simon pursing his lips and crossing his arms with a slight nod of his head._

He breathed out deeply. Speak up…

That was his only chance—his last chance.

He dropped his gaze down at his empty hands. If he didn't speak up…what would he hold? He'd have nothing to hold onto. He'd be empty. He'd have nothing.

This whole time, all he's been thinking about is her…but what about him? Did he ever think about himself? Once? He knew he needed her…but he didn't realize it was this bad. He was torn. One half of him wanted to do everything for her, while the other half wanted to do what _he _wanted for himself. This wouldn't be considered…selfish, if he did what he wanted to do, did it?

He bit his lip. What to do, what to do…?

The words of the designated man who was to seal Eleanor with her spouse suddenly spoke up, his words filling the room in a haunting echo. Theodore knew he needed to hurry and make up his mind. His heartbeat sped up and he could feel the adrenaline pumping his blood and butterflies fluttering in his stomach.

After what felt like forever of arguing with himself, he finally made up his mind.

But when he opened his ears, to wait for the right words to be spoken, the room was filled with silence, and Eleanor and her spouse were looking around the room along with the man who was sealing them.

He made eye contact with her bright sparkling brown eyes for a split second and the next thing he knew, the pounding in his heart was up in his ears. He quickly glanced around the room and within the same second, he sprung out of his seat.

"No—!"

His voice echoed throughout the room while gasps and whispers drowned the room from its silence.

"Theodore…" Her soft voice reached his heart. Oh no…she was going to hate him forever! He bit his bottom lip, clenching his fists. _But if he didn't speak up now, he'd hate himself forever. _He was doing this for him—for himself. This time, it wasn't for her.

He shook his head, and gave her an apologetic look. "Eleanor—I-I—I'm sorry!—look, it's alright if you…" He gulped timidly before speaking his next words. "If you, you know, hate me," his voice was nearly a whisper, but he regained his volume, "but I can't live without you. I—I've known you too long…" His eyes wandered around the room at all the staring eyes. He slowly began to step out of his place and out onto the aisle. He closed his eyes, shaking his head, turning around. He needed to escape. This wasn't right. What was he doing?!

His eyes finally opened, and he halted. What was he doing? He was getting his love. That's what he was doing. He was facing his love.

Slowly, his posture straightened and he faced the crowd with as much courage and confidence he could muster. He faced her, boring his eyes into hers with a deadlock.

A smile managed to crack his tortured face and he lightly laughed, "I never imagined that I'd actually be doing this." His smile faded like fire without any oxygen left. "I always imagined that it'd actually be me who stood up there next to you and make the promise to keep you safe, to care for you, to always love you…but before I knew it, I was already too late…"

Silence filled the room. Only his voice was what bounced the walls with sound.

"I know I haven't always been the strongest and that I'm probably not the image that you always imagined to share your future with—I get that…I know… There are a lot of things about me that sometimes I wish I could change…" He edged in his step, letting out a deep breath. "There are a lot of things that I'm unsure of. But I can tell you this: you have been the most surest thing I've ever been positive about. And I know I'm not flawless—I'm not some supermodel—I'm not some crazy star athlete—I'm nowhere near those things—more than half the time I'm always terrified of something…and even standing here, right now, is pretty scary. But, that's not what shakes me up most. What shakes me up most is…losing you…" He was near breaking point. "I can't lose you, Eleanor…I love you…"

After he finished, he tore his gaze away from her. He couldn't bear to look her in the eyes. He couldn't bear to see the shame that he'd see…

That was it. He couldn't handle this anymore. He needed to leave, and he needed to leave _now. _

As he turned, he heard her voice, soft and gentle.

"Theodore…" _She sounded so close…_

He froze, and felt something light grab hold of his arm. He slightly turned, and she was there. His gaze immediately turned down from her pearl face. Her blonde hair shimmered with all the pearled pins that held it up. She was beautiful. And he felt like a beast—he felt so hideous. How could he do something like this to someone so pure?

Her hand gently lifted his chin, and her light rose lips curved. There were no tears that streamed down her cheeks; there was no fire that blazed her eyes. All that filled her eyes was a calm, golden brown liquid that made her eyes sparkle.

"It's okay…don't look so scared…" She softly spoke. He held his breath. "Just breathe, Theodore. You can't die now—that'd break my heart."

He managed to crack a smile.

"I never planned on leaving you."

His heart began to break. How could he have been so selfish? Guilt soon seeped into the cracks of his heart. "I'm so sorry…" He whispered. He didn't want to be weak. He didn't want to cry…but he couldn't help it. That was just who he was. Weak.

"It's okay," her voice like a soft breeze soothed his aching heart, and her hand as soft as silk, brushed away his tears that slowly fell as if they've been on the edge holding on for so long…for they had been holding on, trying not to fall out of his eyes since the beginning. Her warm hand held his head up. "You know," she softly began, "this was the hardest decision for me to make. Marriage. As much as I wanted it, I didn't want it," she laughed lightly. "It was so hard for me to accept this marriage because…it wasn't going to be with you." He perked up.

"What…?" his voice barely broke out.

"I knew this marriage meant letting you go…and, this whole time, I'd been trying to postpone this marriage—I've been trying to run away from all of this because I just couldn't let you go. I wasn't sure if I had the strength to do that…to stay…" Her gaze faltered slightly to the ground, but his hand gripped onto her hand that held his face, causing strength to flow back in her eyes. "I guess what I'm trying to say is…I love you, too…" A delicate smile curved her lips, bringing a brightness back to her face—a brightness that was brighter than the sun.

His smile broadened, but out of the corner of his eyes, he caught the audience they had. He cleared his throat and chuckled lightly, "U-um, Eleanor—c-could—should we go? I mean…I mean do you wanna…go?"

She caught his gaze trailing around the room and too, glanced around herself. She smiled, "Yeah, let's go." She took his hand. "C'mon."

The two soon broke out into a run, racing towards the doors. He glanced over at her, her face glowing. He couldn't help but smile. She was happy…that's all he ever wanted her to be.

By the time they reached their way of escape, they burst through the doors and the next thing he knew, he was falling. He was falling facedown, flat to the ground. He saw the scenery, he saw everything fall away from his view. Soon everything became blurry, then: _blackout._

When Theodore opened his eyes, blackness greeted him. Frightened from the dark, he sat up and grabbed something soft and warm close to his body. By the time his deep green eyes focused from the sudden blackout, a pale blue light shone as a silhouette cascading from behind him. Blinking his eyes, he peered behind him and confusion hit him like a baseball bat swinging for a homerun. Shaking his head, he took a good look at his surroundings.

Everything was all so familiar…this looked like his childhood home with Dave and…

He blinked and glanced down at his small hands that clutched onto the soft navy blanket that swallowed his lower body. He quickly did a self-check evaluation while his hands touched his face and his body.

A sigh burst out of his lungs, "That was just a dream…" He put his hand to his forehead. "It was just a dream…a weird one too…" He turned around to gaze out the window behind him. In the process, he ran into the sofa behind him. He gave the soft couch a welcoming hug—oh how he missed it! But soon, he froze and backed away. He could only stare at it now. The blackout in his dream—that must've been when he fell off the couch… His face scrunched. What was he doing sleeping on the couch? He had a bed…didn't he?

And just like that, it hit him. "That's right! The Miller sisters are having a sleepover!" he exclaimed quietly. They were here, at his house! His eyes flashed to his surroundings.

"Alvin, Brittany, Simon, Jeanette…" He whispered to himself as he found each sleeping soundly. "Everyone's here!" He paused. "Eleanor…" He searched the room once more but could find no sign of his friend.

Suddenly a fresh, sweet smell reached his nose. He cocked his head while he brought himself to a stand. Was Dave up already?

Silently, Theodore tiptoed his way to the kitchen, trying his best not to disturb or bump into anyone on his way there. By the time he made it to the lit up kitchen, he didn't find who he was exactly expecting.

"Eleanor?"

The blonde who sat aimlessly at the diner table, chin resting on fist, in the far corner of the kitchen perked up. "Theodore!" she chimed as if this was the most fun thing she's ever experienced. "You're up!" She quickly glanced out the window nearby, and paused. Her head flicked over to the clock and she enthusiastically said with much confusion, "And you're up at 5:30 in the morning…"

Theodore's eyes widened. "Wait—what?" His hand came to scratch the back of his head. Was it really that early? Suddenly the sweet aroma found its way to his nose and his eyes searched the kitchen like a predator and its prey. When he found a stack of pancakes piled in front of Eleanor, he dashed over and looked at the perfected, round food in awe. "Wow…did you…" He glanced over to his blonde friend. "Did you make these?"

She sighed and shrugged her shoulders, pursing her lips. "Umm, yeah…I hope you don't mind…I had to use some…things…" Her gaze trailed over to the sink and stove.

"Oh…" He nodded his head. "It's okay," he grinned. "This is practically your second home, anyway," he chirped with a shrug, taking a seat next to her. "Um, can I ask you something?" he hesitantly began.

Eleanor, who was still dressed in her bright green pajamas, raised her eyebrows. "Sure."

He bit his bottom lip before asking innocently, "Why are you up so, you know, early?"

"Oh, that…yeah, I couldn't sleep," she rolled her eyes, "I, uh, had a really weird, strange dream." She nodded her head. "Yup, it was pretty weird."

"So…you decided to come and make…pancakes?" he cocked his head curiously.

Laughing, she sheepishly shrugged her shoulders. "Well, I needed something to do to keep my mind off of…the strange dream I had. Usually I like to play some ball—practice some shots to help distract my mind, but, uh," she laughed dryly, "it was a little too dark outside—it still is a bit too dark outside—and I woke up at about 5:00, so, there wasn't really much for me to do without waking anybody up."

"So, you decided to make pancakes?" he asked staring at the fresh, warm stack.

"Yup, I decided I'd make breakfast for everyone!" she smiled. "And since then, I've had nothing to do," her face drooped as quickly as it had brightened. "You're free to eat some," she then smiled once more.

Theodore brightened, quickly grabbing a plate and fork from the prepared stack next to the pancakes before helping himself. He then ran to the refrigerator and snatched the maple syrup, drowning his pancakes in the sticky sugar before gouging a big bite. "These are really good! You make really good pancakes!"

Eleanor grinned, "I'm glad you like them...! So, my turn—how about you? Why are you up so early?"

He swallowed and stated, "Same reason as you, I guess. I fell off the couch and woke up from my dream…" His head slowly turned towards her. "You said you had a weird dream, right?" She nodded her head. "That's funny—I did too! You were in it!" he exclaimed in realization.

"Really? Wow…then that's _really_ funny because you were in my dream too…" She stared at him, as if lost in thought.

"Huh," he took another big bit from his soaked pancakes. That was really weird. He wasn't sure what to think. Did his dream mean anything? He hoped it didn't…he didn't ever want to go through what he went through in that dream…he'd never even be able to do such a thing! But then again, the ending was happy, so, that beats having a nightmare…

"Hhmmm," Eleanor hummed her voice softly. "It must've been the movie we watched last night or something," she concluded.

Theodore nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah…that movie was…I don't know…it just, it wouldn't be something I'd like to watch again, you know?"

She nodded her head, blonde pigtails bouncing. "I can see what you mean…"

He tugged at his green pajamas. At least his dream was only a dream. He was definitely glad to be back to his normal self. He gazed at his hands. His small hands. He shuddered. How old was he in his dream anyway? Rubbing his hands together, a small sigh escaped his lips. His hands were warm. But then again, of course they were warm; they held everything he ever needed. And that was all he truly ever wanted.

He was still young. He had all the time in the world. He didn't need to do anything drastic. He felt no aches or pains in his heart. After all, it was only just a dream. There was no need for him to run away.

* * *

**I know this is long-ish, but, if you've read the Eragon series, or the Harry Potter series, or even the Twilight series, (and any other long books that look like it'll take a billion years to finish reading), I'm sure this was a piece of cake! The idea for this story is weird, sure, but I hope it wasn't too cheesy or painful to read. This story wasn't based off a song, but it was inspired by one.**

**I thought about making a sequel of some sort where Theodore is older (like teen ages) and when he's doing whatever at his school, or with the Miller's, he'd see the "groom" character from his dream and he gets shut down into emergency mode and blah blah blah, you can get the rest I assume, but, I'm kind of just like, "Nah...this is good enough." But I don't know. You tell me.**

**Review and tell me what you think about...it all... ;D**

**Thanks so much for reading!**


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